Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
G inny Kelton couldn’t stop smiling as she sank onto one of the plush couches in the game room. “I can’t believe I hit the Bullseye.”
Bob grinned at her and pulled her closer, as if she needed any encouragement to snuggle into his side. He chuckled and shook his head. “I think you actually closed your eyes when you threw.”
“Shh.” She giggled into his chest. “I think it sort of upset Ian.” She glanced over to the other couch, where Billie and Ian had parked themselves after Ginny’s come-from-behind win at darts. She showed him something on her phone, their heads bent close together. Then Ian smiled, so maybe he wasn’t mad about losing.
“What’s next?” Jamie asked. “We can’t waste this amazing game room by sitting on our phones.” She looked over to Grace, who’d indeed sunk into an armchair and had her device in front of her face.
“I’m not on my phone,” Lena said in a loud, blunt voice.
Jamie turned a kind smile on her. “No, you’re not. Should we play pool?”
“Let’s do teams,” Ian said, standing up. “Because Jamie’s right—this place is insane.”
“My mom killed it by finding the manor,” Billie said. She got to her feet too and moved to Ian’s side. “Can I be on your team?”
“Of course.” He grinned at her, and Ginny recognized how much they liked each other, though they didn’t touch, hadn’t kissed in front of anyone, and probably wouldn’t do anything inappropriate at all.
Ginny simply wanted to stay under Bob’s arm, where his body heat melted into hers, making her comfortable, cozy, and warm.
“Bob? You in?” Ian pointed a pool cue toward Ginny and Bob, who laughed.
“All in,” Bob said, and he had to pull his arm from Ginny’s shoulders to stand. “Come on, Ginny-baby. You can be on my team.”
She groaned as she allowed Bob to pull her to her feet. “I’m no good at pool.”
“Yeah, that’s what you said about darts,” Ian said dryly.
“I don’t have a partner,” Grace said.
“You can be on our team,” Jamie said. “Me, you, and Lena.”
Grace moved over to them, and Ginny waited for Bob to get her a pool cue and the others to decide what game they’d play. She loved how easily Bob fit in with her friends and family, how he seemed to genuinely enjoy being here at the manor with her.
Of course, they’d only been here for a couple of hours, and they’d opted to come down to the basement game room instead of spending time in the pool. They’d be here through Monday morning, so they still had plenty of time for swimming.
She loved how he called her “Ginny-baby,” almost like that was her name. The way it rolled off his tongue sounded so natural, and she glanced over to him as he laughed with Ian. She feared she’d fallen in love with him the moment she’d met him, though she’d never told anyone that.
Not even Charlie, though he wouldn’t tease her or judge her.
Ginny felt old in some ways and entirely too young to fall in love and get married in others. But she sure enjoyed spending time with Bob, talking to him, learning more about him, and dreaming of a future with him.
“Your turn, Ginny,” he said as he came over to her.
“What am I doing?”
He gave a knowing look that accused her of not listening—and he wouldn’t be wrong. But his eyes only held kindness and warmth among that bright edge he always had, and he nodded to the pool table. “Try to get that solid blue two-ball in the corner pocket.”
She very nearly rolled her eyes. “You talk like you’ve spent a lot of time in pool bars.”
“Maybe I have.” He grinned at her, and Ginny did roll her eyes then. He so hadn’t, though he did seem to be good at everything he did.
She moved over to the table, the pool cue in her hand awkward and too long. “I don’t know how to do this.”
Bob came up behind her, his wider stance and long arms easily enveloping her inside them. “Hold it like this, baby.” He positioned her hands where they should be, his breath washing softly along her ear. She fought a shiver and instead, looked over to Billie.
The teen watched her and Bob with an edge in her eyes, and Ginny’s face heated.
“Then, you just give it a little tap,” Bob said quietly as he backed up. “A little tap, Ginny. It doesn’t take much.”
“It sure doesn’t,” Billie said, her eyebrows now lifted.
Ginny gave her a grin, because she didn’t have anything to be embarrassed about. So she and Bob liked each other. He was twenty-four; she was twenty. She wasn’t in high school, wasn’t a teenager, and had nothing to hide from anyone.
She focused on the solid blue ball, moved the cue the way Bob had, and thrust it out in a short, tight movement. The tip hit the ball, and Ginny stayed leaned over the table, watching as the ball rolled toward the pocket. Excitement zinged through her when it dropped into the leather bag, and she straightened quickly, lifting her cue straight up as she said, “Yes! I got it!”
The tip of her pool cue hit the ceiling, and Ginny quickly pulled it back. Looking up, she saw a slight blue smudge on the ceiling, and a new kind of humiliation filled her. “Oops.”
“Let me have that before you decapitate someone.” Bob laughed as he took the cue from her. Then he pulled her to his side, his arm around her waist as they watched Grace take her turn.
Turned out, she’d just experienced a bit of beginner’s luck, because she missed every shot after that. She didn’t care at all, and she pulled her phone out to check the time. “I have to go babysit soon,” she said, noticing she’d missed some texts from her twin.
Charlie had texted: How’s the fancy house? Mom driving you crazy yet?
Ginny smiled and quickly typed back a response. It’s amazing, Charlie. You and Mandie are totally missing out. And Mom’s been surprisingly chill so far.
She hasn’t asked you five thousand questions about Bob? I’m shocked.
She called yesterday , Ginny said, though she didn’t tell Charlie what she’d talked with her mother about. Just because they were twins, lived together, and were very close didn’t mean she wanted to discuss her sex life with her brother.
We’ll be there next weekend. Can’t wait to see the house and get out of the city.
Miss you, Charlie.
Love you, Ginny.
“Everything okay?” Bob asked, coming up beside her.
Ginny nodded, tucking her phone away. “Just Charlie. I think New York is suffocating him.”
“It’s the finals,” Bob said, and he would know. He’d already earned a bachelor’s degree and had moved on to law school. Ginny still hadn’t declared a major, and she really needed to pick something as she was running out of general-ed classes to take.
“Did you tell him I’ve promised to have you home by curfew?” Bob’s dark eyes twinkled like a night sky, which so fit with all the decor of this manor.
“You two are ridiculous.” Ginny grinned and shook her head. She loved how well Bob and Charlie got along, how they’d formed their own friendship independent of her. It made her relationship with him feel…grown-up.
Her phone chimed, and she hurried to silence it. “I have to go meet Jean.”
“I’ll come find you later,” Bob said, his attention over on the foosball table. “I think Lena needs a partner to go up against the Sherman sisters.”
Billie actually stretched her arms up as if she’d be going into a boxing ring instead of playing foosball with friends. Ginny loved her in that moment, because Billie had become a good friend, and she’d grown up into a pretty amazing young adult.
Ginny said, “I have to go, everyone. See you later.”
Calls of “Bye, Ginny,” and “See you later,” filled the air as she left the game room. She’d just reached the bottom of the steps when Jean did. “Oh.” She carried Heidi in her arms, and she quickly side-stepped out of the way.
“I was just on the way up.” Ginny reached to take Heidi from her mother. She smiled at the little girl, then took in Jean’s pretty black dress. “You look so amazing.”
Jean smiled and ran her hands down the front of her body. “Thanks. I just got this in the mail, and I haven’t even worn it yet.”
“You’re wearing it well right now.” Ginny smiled at Jean and started up the stairs.
“Reuben and I haven’t had date night in a while,” Jean said from behind her. “Thank you so much for taking her tonight.”
“Of course.”
“She’s eaten already,” Jean continued. “I’ve put her pajamas on our bed in the Celestial Room. It’s on the second floor.”
Ginny emerged onto the first floor, where several adults sat at the table in the eat-in kitchen, a game of Scrabble in front of them. “What time do you want me to put her down?”
“Eight,” Jean said. “It’s only a couple of hours.”
Ginny turned back to her, catching the nervousness on Jean’s face. “We’ll be fine.” She grinned at Heidi. “Won’t we, Heidi-ho?” The little girl smiled at her, and Ginny’s heart expanded another size.
Jean took a diaper bag from Reuben, who wore a classic pair of black slacks and a dark green sweater fitting for the season. “There are diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, and some snacks in here. Oh, and her favorite stuffed animal is in there too—she can’t sleep without it.”
Ginny nodded, mentally cataloging the information. “Got it. Don’t worry about a thing, you guys.” She nodded over to the table. “It’s not like I’m here alone or anything.”
Jean hesitated for a moment, then leaned in to kiss Heidi’s cheek. “Be good for Ginny, okay, baby doll? Mommy and Daddy will be back soon.”
Ginny took Heidi’s chubby hand and waved for her as Jean and Reuben went down the hall toward the front door. Once it clicked closed, Ginny looked at Heidi, then around the living room. Her mother played Scrabble with Arthur, Robin, Duke, and AJ, but Ginny didn’t want to sit in here with them.
She didn’t see Asher, and she wondered if AJ had already put him to bed. She’d taken a self-guided tour of the manor when she and Bob had arrived a few hours ago, and she turned back to the staircase. And just like that, she slipped away from the busyness on the first floor and made her way up two flights to the top level.
The library seemed to be calling her name, and she entered the semi-dark room to see the sun had just started to set. “Wow,” she said, magnetically drawn across the vast space to the wall of windows. “Look at that, Heidi.”
Every corner of this house seemed to hold some new wonder, from the intricate moldings to the celestial-themed artwork that adorned the walls.
She dropped the diaper bag and sank onto one of the window seats, settling Heidi on her lap. The little girl simply leaned back into her like she had soft spaghetti noodles for bones. “The sun is going down,” she said to Heidi. “See how the sky looks like it’s starting to bruise?”
Of course a two-year-old wouldn’t know what a bruise was, but Ginny wasn’t expecting to have a conversation with the little girl.
In the winter, sunsets happened quickly, and before Ginny knew it, the last of the light faded, leaving the sky a dark navy blue that continued to sink into blackness.
And that meant the stars would be coming out.
A sense of peace settled over her. She’d only lived in the cove for four years before leaving for college, but the quiet moments here, the natural beauty, the feeling of being part of something bigger than herself—those things had always been present here.
“Home,” she whispered, as Five Island Cove had definitely become home to Ginny.
Pricks of light started to appear in the black drape the sky had become, and Ginny noted how utterly dark it had become. New York City never got dark like this, and Ginny had forgotten what a Five Island Cove night was like.
Did she want to move back here after she finished school? She loved her mom and step-dad, and it wasn’t the worst thought in the world.
“There you are,” Bob said, and Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin. She emitted a yelp, her arms tightening around Heidi.
“It’s just me,” Bob added. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I was just…” Ginny looked out the window again as Bob settled beside her. “Stargazing.”
He took Heidi from her, saying, “Hey there, little lady.” He grinned at her and tried to fake-gobble up her fingers. Heidi shrieked with delight and laughed, which was about the cutest sound in the whole world.
Ginny’s heart swelled as she watched them interact. Bob was so good with kids, so natural and patient. It made her think about the future—their future—in a way that both excited and terrified her.
“The stars have stolen you from us,” Bob said.
“Not true.” She leaned into his shoulder and watched the night sky again. “I’m right here.”
“Thinking about what?” he asked.
“Us,” she said honestly.
“Mm.” Bob didn’t say more, and they sat in comfortable silence for a while, more and more stars appearing as they watched. Heidi eventually began to yawn, her little head drooping against Bob’s chest.
“I should probably put her to bed,” Ginny said, checking her phone. “It’s not quite eight, but I need to change her and put on her pjs.”
Bob stood up with her, keeping Heidi in his arms. “I’ll come with you.” He didn’t say he wanted to talk more about the “us” she’d said, but Ginny saw it in his eyes all the same.
She nodded and led the way to the second floor. As luck would have it, Kelli and Shad’s suite on this floor was available, and Ginny had decided to stay in it instead of the bunk room. Bob would be staying in the third-floor bunk room on his own, as none of the other single males were at the manor this weekend.
In the Celestial Room, Ginny quickly changed Heidi’s diaper, giving her a raspberry on her belly to keep her laughing and happy. She changed her into her pajamas and then tucked the toddler into the portable crib in the corner of the room.
Lastly, she dug out the stuffed lion and handed it to Heidi. She hugged it to her neck and closed her eyes, and Ginny could only pray for a baby as good as Heidi. “Sweet dreams, baby doll,” Ginny whispered, brushing a soft kiss against Heidi’s forehead.
Then she picked up the baby monitor and made sure Heidi’s part had been switched on before she and Bob headed for the hallway. Once there, she took his hand and led him further into the depths of the second floor—to the suite where she’d be staying for the next three nights.
“And to think I got the bunk room,” he said as he entered the suite.
Ginny could only smile. “El picked a great place.”
“It’s incredible.”
She set the baby monitor on the nightstand and flopped onto the bed. “It’s like sleeping on clouds.”
Bob went around to the other side of the king-sized bed and lay on top of the comforter as well. “Anything is going to be better than your couch-mattress-bed.”
“Right?” Ginny rolled toward him, her sleeping arrangements in the city not going to ruin her good mood. “I won’t have to sleep there forever.”
He gathered her into his arms, the two of them settling in the middle of the giant bed. “I want you with me,” he whispered.
Ginny tensed, though she wanted to have this talk with him. This one, and plenty more. “Do you really?”
“Yes.” He pressed his lips to her temple, then moved his kiss down to her cheekbone. “I have a real bed.”
She smiled and turned her head so she could kiss him. He kept the union slow and sweet, and he broke the kiss far sooner than she’d have liked. “Come to Boston after Christmas.” He kept his voice low and soft, and that only made Ginny feel closer to him.
“Boston?” she asked.
“I don’t have to be back to work until the winter semester starts.”
“I thought you were going to Kansas City to see your parents.”
“I can cancel.” He opened his eyes and looked into hers. “I want to spend a few days with you in my city.”
She’d been to Boston before, but no, she had not stayed with him. “I have to work.”
He ran the tip of his nose down her cheek and kissed her neck. She pulled in a sharp breath, stars shooting across her skin, emanating from where he touched. “You can call in,” he said. “I want to spend some time with you, Ginny-baby. Just us.”
The implication of his words hung in the air between them. They hadn’t been intimate yet, both agreeing to take things slow. But lately, the tension between them had been building, the desire to take that next step growing stronger.
“I love you, Ginny.” He lifted his head and offered her that boyish smile she loved so much. “I’d marry you tomorrow if you’d let me.”
“We haven’t even known each other for six months,” she said. “There’s no way you’re proposing before then.”
He reached up and played with a strand of her hair. “Do you love me, baby?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I—I—yes, I think I’m in love with you.” She buried her face in his chest and took a deep breath. “My mother is going to kill me.”
“You don’t need her permission.”
“She’s my mom.”
“I know she is.” Bob kissed her again, his lips strong and yet tender as he showed her he loved her. Ginny kissed him back, hoping her feelings went through in her motions too.
He pulled away and brushed her hair off her forehead. “Your mom doesn’t have to know all the details.” A hint of mischief entered his eyes. “We’re adults, Ginny. We can make our own decisions.”
Part of her wanted to say yes immediately, to throw caution to the wind and dive headfirst into this next phase of their relationship. But another part—the practical, cautious part that sounded annoyingly like her mother—held her back.
“Can I think about it?” she asked finally. “It’s not a no, Bobby.”
He grinned at her. “I like it when you call me Bobby.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Of course. Take all the time you need, love.”
Ginny leaned in, pressing her forehead against his. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For understanding. For being patient with me.”
“Always,” Bob murmured back.
They stayed like that for a long moment while Ginny felt like she stood on the edge of something huge, something life-changing.
As she lay there and thought about Boston post-Christmas, in that brief week between the holidays and New Year’s Day, Ginny realized that she was ready to take the next step. Ready for whatever came next, ready to take that leap with Bob.
Tomorrow , she decided. She could tell him she’d stay in Boston with him tomorrow—and he’d spoken true…her mom didn’t need to know anything about it.